Femtocells—building-based wireless access points interfaced with a wired broadband network—are traditionally deployed to improve indoor wireless coverage, and to offload a mobility radio access network (RAN) operated by a wireless service provider. Improved indoor coverage includes stronger signal and improved reception (e.g., voice, sound, or data), ease of session or call initiation, and session or call retention as well. Offloading a RAN reduces operational and transport costs for the service provider since a lesser number of end users utilizes over-the-air radio resources (e.g., radio frequency channels), which are typically limited. Femtocells utilize a set of operating parameters that are typically obtained during the provisioning stage of the initial femtocell setup. Traditionally, the operating parameters are derived by employing a set of location and network listen measurements collected when the femto access point (FAP) is first powered up (e.g., initialization). Measured dominance (or not) of one or many macro cells can be used to determine parameters, such as, FAP transmission power, and which access parameters provide the best service area/interference mix for the femto service location. After initialization, measurements are repeated periodically (e.g., every night) and parameters are fine-tuned over time.
The traditional mechanism for obtaining femto operating parameters may have a long-term benefit, but the initial femto customer setup, performed during initialization has many limitations. For example, the initial network listen measurements and automatic parameter calculations substantially increase setup delay. Most often, it takes more than 15 minutes for the FAP to collect measurements, define parameters and activate its transmitter. In the meantime, the FAP transmitter is switched off and the customer is kept waiting. Another limitation of the traditional approach relates to accuracy. Moreover, radio network environments are too dynamic to be accurately represented by a single-shot network listen measurement taken during initialization. In an example, the customer can initially power the FAP when traffic on a surrounding macro network is particularly low. Interference measurements taken at this time can be overly optimistic, and result in channel, power and parameter selections, which are sub-optimal under normal loading conditions. Further, the installed location of the FAP can also lead to inaccuracy. For example, a FAP installed in an underground basement may receive much less interference during network listen, than an above-ground served user equipment (UE) would, when the FAP is activated. Accordingly, it can be beneficial to take more measurements over an extended period of time to improve accuracy. However, during this extended period of time the customer is either waiting with no FEMTO service, or dropping calls whilst the FAP is self-adjusting. This can lead to customer dissatisfaction and an unacceptably high rate of initial return of FAP equipment and/or disconnection of femto services.